Windrow merging apparatus

ABSTRACT

A windrow merger has a frame supporting first, second and third pickup assemblies, with the two outside pickup assemblies foldable between an extended use position and a retracted travel position. Each of the pickup assemblies includes a reversible conveyor providing multiple windrow merging configurations. The pickup assemblies are interchangeable and aligned to define an unobstructed pickup face.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 11/388,692,filed Mar. 24, 2006; which is a continuation of application Ser. No.10/405,030, filed Mar. 31, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,310,929; whichapplications are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a windrow merger apparatus and a methodof merging windrows. In particular, the present invention relates to awindrow merging apparatus and method having more than two heads andconveyor assemblies.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Devices for merging windrows are well known and are used to gathermaterial, such as cut hay that might be windrowed, and merge it into asingle windrow for harvesting or baling. Such windrow mergers havetypically included a single pickup head and are either self propelled orpulled behind a tractor to move the material to a single row at one sideof the merger. When used on a relatively small scale, these devicesgenerally function in a satisfactory manner. However, for large scaleoperations requiring merging on large fields, the capacity of suchmergers is limited because of their width and may not be sufficient tomerge the material at an adequate rate for subsequent pickup by otherdevices. The merging must often be performed during a small timeframewhen conditions are favorable. A limiting factor for the size of themerger device has been the towing capacity of tractors and otherpropulsion devices. However as larger, more powerful tractors areutilized, larger equipment may be used. The larger tractors have led tolarger harvesting machinery so that the need exists for a merger withgreater merging rates so as not to slow the harvest process.

Although more power may be available to propel merger devices, otherlimitations are encountered that have restricted the size of windrowmergers. The machines must be transported from field to field and ableto accomplish entry and exit in and out of fields, as well as meetingwidth limitations for transport on public highways and other roadswithout removing the heads.

In order to achieve a wider merger apparatus, folding mergers have beendeveloped, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,205,757 to Dow et al. TheDow et al. '757 patent has a two headed merger device that folds to astorage position for transport. In addition, the Dow device utilizestransverse conveyors to move materially laterally and provide variousconfigurations for moving material to the desired windrow. The Dow etal. '757 patent teaches a device that is successful in providing highercapacity, greater width, and improved methods of merging while foldingto a storage position for transport. However, further improvements towindrow mergers are possible.

Utilizing wider folding heads provides design challenges, especiallyachieving a linkage for folding wide heads and providing acceptablesupport, while limiting the loads and torque in operating positions,storage positions and during movement between the use position and thetransport position. In order to achieve higher capacity, the heads maybe widened, but the design becomes more complicated and difficult due tomoving wider heads and staying within height and width limitations whenfolded. Controls and mechanisms for a folding more than two heads arenot contemplated in the prior art.

Moreover, another problem that devices having multiple heads suffer fromis that they typically form a gap between the ends of adjacent pickupheads so that some material may be missed in the field as the mergeradvances. Motors and other drive equipment have typically beenpositioned at ends of heads, providing an obstruction between the endsof the heads, requiring a gap between the end row of tines adjacent theheads. Operating prior adjustable conveyors at a sufficient rate so thatmaterial is passed from one conveyor to the other has required spacingthat allows for adjustment, which prohibits an unobstructed pickup facewithout gaps. Achieving a conveyor that does not require adjustable endrollers would improve the liability and eliminate constant adjustmentfor different configurations. If such manual adjustment is not required,control of the merger apparatus and changing between different operatingconfigurations, or changing between storage and use positions could beaccomplished remotely by an operator of the towing vehicle withouthaving to manually adjust conveyor heads and other equipment. Theutility of such a merger apparatus is increased if such changes andconfigurations may be made remotely during merging without having tostop.

It can be seen that a new and improved windrow merging apparatus isneeded. Such a merger should provide for a wider effective pickup facethat can accommodate various spacing of windrows and material and anunobstructed pickup face so that material is not missed in the field.Such a merger apparatus should provide for a merger having more than twoheads and allow for folding of the heads between a use position and astorage position, providing for transport on public roads. A mergerhaving conveyors with fixed heads that do not require adjustmentincreases the reliability and efficiency of such a merger. The presentinvention addresses these as well as other problems associated withwindrow merging devices and merging operations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a windrow merger apparatus, such asis commonly used to merge cut hay and/or windrows into larger windrowsfor harvesting or baling. The windrow merger apparatus is configured forbeing towed by a tractor or other vehicle, or may be self-propelled. Themerger includes a frame and three pickup and transfer assemblies in apreferred embodiment. Each of the pickup and transfer assembliesincludes a pickup head and an associated conveyor. The pickup heads havesets of tines that extend radially outward from the head spaced alongthe length of the head, transverse to the direction of travel. The tinesrotate and pick the hay or other material up and send it rearward to anassociated conveyor for moving to a single windrow. The heads includeremovable guards intermediate the sets of tines. Motors and relatedequipment are recessed so that the heads are closely aligned with thetines having an unobstructed face to the hay or other material as themerger travels. Star wheels having a ratcheted outer peripheryconfigured for engaging material on the ground and rotating to aid inpicking up the material may be disposed intermediate ends of adjacentpickup heads so that an unobstructed and continuous pickup face isachieved. In one embodiment, the pickup heads also include skidassemblies that support the heads and ride over the ground. The skidassemblies are positioned to the rear of the heads so as not tointerrupt the continuity of the face of the tines as the mergerapparatus travels.

In one embodiment, the pickup heads are placed under a preloaded torqueto position the heads slightly lower than without the torque and arespring loaded as the pickup heads travel and engage the uneven terrain.In this manner, the heads more easily “float” over the uneven ground.

The merger has a linkage that is hydraulically driven in a preferredembodiment that folds the outer pickup and transfer assemblies rearwardand inward. The center pickup and transfer assembly can be moved upwardand downward in a pivoting type motion. When the pickup and transferassemblies are raised, each outer assembly rests on supports in itsraised and folded position. The folding systems are driven by hydrauliccylinders and provide for folding and unfolding even while the mergerapparatus is moving and operating.

Each of the pickup and transfer assemblies includes a conveyor assemblyassociated with each pickup head. Shrouds extend in an arcingconfiguration at the rear of the conveyors over the top to directmaterial flung from the heads onto the conveyors. The conveyors aredriven by hydraulic motors in a preferred embodiment and are operable ineither direction so that multiple merging configurations and operationsare possible. The merging arrangement selected is varied by adjustingboth the configuration of the pickup and transfer assemblies and thedirection of the conveyors.

In a preferred embodiment, the conveyors include pulleys or rollers thatare formed with blades radially disposed around a periphery of thepulley and engaging the conveyor belt. The pulleys do not have a throughaxle and the blades chop up material that falls off of the conveyor.Such a configuration also helps to avoid clogging, which may occur withmaterial engaging through axles and other moving parts. Such pulleysalso reduce the weight of the machine when compared to conventionalpulleys.

Controls for the merger can be remotely actuated from the cab if themerger is self propelled, or from the cab of the tractor or otherpropulsion device. Since hydraulic motors drive the various systems onthe merger, central hydraulic controls provide for simple, reliableremote actuation that can be accomplished from the cab of a towingvehicle while the merger operates and continues to travel. The tractorand the merger may simultaneously be operated from a single location byone person with such a control arrangement.

These features of novelty and various other advantages that characterizethe invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexedhereto and forming a part hereof. However, for a better understanding ofthe invention, its advantages, and the objects obtained by its use,reference should be made to the drawings which form a further parthereof, and to the accompanying descriptive matter, in which there isillustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring to the drawings wherein like reference numerals and lettersindicate corresponding elements throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a merger apparatus according to theprinciples of the present invention in a use position with conveyorshrouds removed for clarity;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the merger shown in FIG. 1 in the useposition;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the merger shown in FIG. 1 in theuse position;

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the merger shown in FIG. 1 in theuse position;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the merger shown in FIG. 1 with twoheads at a folded position;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the merger shown in FIG. 5 with the twoouter heads at the folded position;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the merger shown in FIG. 5 with thetwo outer heads at the folded position and the center head raised;

FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of the merger shown in FIG. 1 withone head at a folded position;

FIG. 9 is a rear perspective view of the merger shown in FIG. 8 with onehead at a folded position;

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of a star wheel device for the mergerapparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 shows an end sectional view of a hexagonal shaft constructionutilized in the conveyor of the merger apparatus;

FIG. 12 shows a schematic view of the control system for the mergerapparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 13 is an elevational of a pretorque device showing a head angledfrom the pretorque and at a non-torqued position in phantom;

FIG. 14 is a bottom perspective view of the merger shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a head assembly according to theprinciples of the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a bottom perspective view of a conveyor;

FIG. 17 is an end sectional view of a pickup and transport assembly;

FIG. 18 is an end elevational view of the pre-torque device for the headof the merger;

FIG. 19 is a partially exploded perspective view of a pickup andtransport assembly for the merger apparatus;

FIG. 20 is a perspective partially exploded view of a conveyor for themerger apparatus;

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a conveyor roller; and

FIGS. 22-24 are diagrammatic views of patterns of merger methodsaccording to the principles of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to FIG. 1, there isshown a merger apparatus, generally designated 100. A towing device,generally a tractor 1000 tows the merger apparatus 100. In otherconfigurations, the merger apparatus 100 may be self propelled, such asis well known to those skilled in the art and the principles of thepresent invention apply to towed and self-propelled devices.

As shown generally in FIGS. 1-4, the merger includes three pickup andtransfer assemblies, designated 104, 106 and 108. The assemblies 104,106 and 108 are supported on a framework 101 including folding arms 102that provides for movement of the outer assemblies 104 and 108 between ause position and a folded position, as explained hereinafter. The mergerapparatus 100 includes steerable rear wheels 114 and a hitch 110 formounting to the tractor 1000. A steering linkage 116, such as is wellknown in the art, connects the towing vehicle 1000 to the rear wheels114 to improve tracking so that the merger apparatus 100 substantiallyfollows directly behind the towing vehicle 1000. A power take offtypically provides the power to the merger apparatus 100 from the towingvehicle 1000. In addition, the controls are mounted in the cab of thetowing vehicle 1000, as explained hereinafter, so that an operator maycontrol all merger functions without having to stop the mergingoperation and make manual adjustments to the merger 100.

The folding arm 102 is actuated by a linkage 118 to facilitate movementof the pivoting assemblies 104, 106 and 108 between a use position to astorage position. Each pickup and transfer assembly 104, 106 and 108includes a head unit, designated 124, 126 and 128 respectively. Theheads 124, 126 and 128 pick up and deliver the crop rearward tocorresponding conveyors 134, 136 and 138. As shown in FIGS. 4, 15 and16, each pickup and transfer assembly 104, 106 and 108 includes anarcing shroud 160. The shrouds 160 intercept material that has beenthrown rearward and directs it downward onto the corresponding conveyor.The shrouds 160 are shown removed for clarity in several of the views,but is foreseen that the shrouds 160 will be utilized in most mergingoperations.

The merger 100 has flexibility with respect to conveyor travel directionas well as with respect to the number of heads operating, so thatmultiple configurations for different merging needs and operation arepossible. As shown in FIGS. 1-4, the merger 100 may be operated with allthree pickup and transfer assemblies, 104, 106 and 108 in a loweredoperating position. When operated in this mode, the merger 100 can covera much wider swath, merging more material and a greater number ofwindrows than is possible with prior merger devices.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, either of the outer pickup assemblies, namelypickup assembly 104 or pickup assembly 108, may be raised independentlyof each of the other assemblies. With such a configuration, the merger100 is able to operate with two of the pickup and transfer assemblies,therefore merging a swath two thirds of the full width of the merger100, such as when configured as shown in FIGS. 1-4. Such a two headmerging configuration may be needed for irregularities in the terrain,to access smaller fields or irregular shaped fields, or for improvedmerging at edges of fields.

As also shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, either the assembly 104 or the assembly108 may be raised independently of the other assemblies. This providesfor merging while having either of the pickup and transfer assemblies104 or 108 extending to one side or the other of the towing vehicle1000. In addition, the conveyors 134, 136 and 138 are reversible, to beoperable in both directions so that material may be selectivelytransported either to the left or the right. The conveyors 134, 136 and138 may also operate in either direction when one of the pickup andtransport assemblies is raised. With such flexibility, it is possible todirect material to the outer ends of the pickup and transport assemblies104 or 108 or to either of the ends of transport assembly 106, dependingon the configuration of the merger 100 and the needs of the mergingapparatus.

Referring now to FIGS. 5-7, the merger 100 may have both pickupassemblies 104 and 108 raised simultaneously while the center pickup andtransfer assembly 106 remains lowered in an operating position. Thepickup assemblies 104 and 108 generally rest on supports 122 whileraised and folded. The pickup assembly 106 may be operated as a singleconveyor merger with its head 126 collecting material and throwing itbackward to the associated conveyor 136 for transport to either end ofthe pickup assembly 106. With this configuration, even smaller areas maybe accessed with a merger capable of collecting material from muchgreater area per pass than is possible with prior art merger devices. Inaddition, as shown in FIG. 7, all of the pickup and transfer assemblies104, 106 and 108 may be raised for transporting the merger when notoperating to collect material. In this configuration, with all threepickup and transfer assemblies 104, 106, and 108 are raised, the merger100 is capable of transport on public roads. The pickup and transferassemblies 104 and 108 fold rearward and inward to minimize the overallwidth and height of the merger 100. The merger 100 has the additionaladvantage of being centered behind the transport vehicle in itstransport configuration. As the conveyors and folding linkages areindependently operable, the merger 100 may be operated continuously,even while the pickup and transfer assemblies 104, 106 and 108 are beingraised or lowered. This control provides for continuous operation andimproved efficiency that is not possible with prior merger devices thatrequire that the merger be stopped to raise, lower or otherwise adjustany of the merger's equipment.

The pickup and transport assemblies 104 and 108 mount to the folding arm102 on mounts 192 attached to a pickup and transport assembly supportframe 190 associated with each assembly 104 or 108. Each of the pickupand transfer assemblies 104, 106 and 108 is interchangeable with theother pickup and transfer assemblies and vary only in their mounting tothe merger 100. This interchangeability reduces the parts inventorynecessary for servicing the merger device 100 and decreases down timewhen repair of one of the pickup assemblies is required.

Merger Heads

Referring now to FIGS. 14, 15 and 17, the merger heads 124, 126 and 128include a multiplicity of tines 200 spaced along the length of eachhead. In addition, as shown most clearly in FIG. 17, the tines 200 arealso spaced radially around the circumference of an arbor 168 along thelength of the head. The tines 200 are somewhat flexible and arepivotally mounted to provide flexure should a tine engage the ground orother obstacle. Intermediate the sets of tines 200 are guards 202 thatextend around the top front and bottom of the arbor 168 and provideprotection to the inner equipment of the heads. The guards 202 arestraight members in a preferred embodiment that are bent and mountedunder tension, as explained in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser.No. 10/027,930, incorporated herein by reference. The tines 200 andguards 202 are easily removable and replaced should damage occur. Theguards 202 may be loosened at one end while remaining attached at asecond end to provide easy access to damaged tines 200 and perform othermaintenance. The heads include a housing 204 that is mounted to thecorresponding pickup and transfer assembly on the preloaded torqueassemblies 210 as shown in FIG. 19. The preloaded torque assemblies 210provide a lifting force against the weight of the heads 124, 126 and 128to improve the ride as the merger 100 travels over irregularities in theterrain. As shown most clearly in FIG. 17, the heads 124, 126 and 128are mounted with approximately 15 degrees of bias from the preloadedtorque assembly in variance to a non-torqued position, shown in phantomin FIG. 13. The heads are therefore spring loaded and rise up and overrocks and other irregularities with greater ease. In addition toimproving the ability to “ride” over irregularities, the preloadingforce improves performance by increasing contact time with material tobe picked up. The flexure also decreases the damage and therefore,maintenance and down time for the merger.

Referring now to FIG. 18, the preloaded torque assembly 210 includes acenter rectangular floating element 212 that is supported by fourresilient members 214 spaced on the four sides of the center floatingelement 212. A housing 216 retains the center member 212 and theresilient support members 214 and allows for mounting of the heads tothe preloaded torque assembly 210.

As shown most clearly in FIG. 15, a hydraulic motor 206 drives eacharbor 168 for the heads 124, 126 and 128. The hydraulic motor 206 isrecessed into the housing 204 of the heads 124, 126 and 128. With thehydraulic motor 206 recessed, the ends of the heads 124, 126 and 128 arepositioned substantially to abut one another. No obstruction due todrive mechanisms, support wheels or other mechanisms insertedintermediate the adjacent heads is required, as was typical withprevious merger devices. Therefore, the end tines 202 of one head areclose to the tines 202 of another head so that there are no large gapsbetween the heads as occur with previous merger devices, which hadmotors and other equipment between heads. In addition, the mergerincludes star wheels 162 mounted intermediate ends of the heads 124 and126 and intermediate ends of the heads 126 and 128. The star wheels 162are rotatably mounted to the housing 204 at the ends of the heads, asshown most clearly in FIG. 19. As shown in FIG. 10, the star wheels 162include a number of teeth spaced around the periphery of the star wheel162 in a notched configuration. As the star wheels 162 rotate, thenotches and teeth intercept material that is not picked by the end tines202 of the adjacent heads and aids in directing the material rearward.The star wheels 162 eliminate gaps and minimize the material that is notpicked up and left on the ground after the merger 100 passes.

The heads 124, 126 and 128 of the present invention provide anunobstructed pickup face to engage the material to be windrowed as themerger 100 moves. Recessed hydraulic motors 206 allow for placing theends of the heads 124, 126 and 128 in close proximity to one another andeliminate the large gaps where prior art drive support mergers and othermechanisms and machinery were located. Moreover, the star wheels 162inserted intermediate the ends of heads 124, 126 and intermediate theends of the heads 126 and 128, as shown most clearly in FIG. 4, ensurethat the face of the merger is unobstructed and continuous. The merger100 provides improved pickup while achieving a greater width per passthan has been seen heretofore.

Folding

A folding linkage 118 that is hydraulically driven accomplishes thefolding of the pickup and transfer assemblies 104, 106 and 108. Theouter pickup and transfer assemblies 104 and 108 are folded rearward andinward from the use position shown in FIG. 1, to the storage positionshown in FIG. 5. The pickup and transport assemblies 104 and 108 aredirected up, in and to the rear at the folded position shown in FIG. 5.The arms 102 of the folding frame 101 engage and rest on supports 122 attheir folded position. Folding of each of the assemblies 104, 106 and108 can occur independently from folding of the other assemblies and canoccur while the merger 100 is in operation and moving. The pickup andtransfer assemblies 104, 106 and 108 are substantially compact and areinterchangeable so that a spare head may be utilized and mounted toeither of the folding linkages 118 or mounted as the center head 106.

Material Transport System

Each of the pickup and transport assemblies 104, 106 and 108 includes anassociated conveyor assembly, 134, 136 and 138 respectively, such asshown in FIGS. 1, 4, 5 and 14. Although not shown in several of theviews, the conveyor assemblies include shrouds 160 as shown in FIG. 15.The shrouds 160 are generally positioned behind the rear edge of theconveyor and extend upward and forward in an arcing configuration overthe conveyors to direct material thrown rearward by the heads down ontothe moving conveyor. This configuration ensures that a greaterpercentage of the material is actually transferred and merged.

Referring to FIGS. 16, 19 and 20, each of the conveyors 134, 136 and 138includes a belt 170 mounted above end pulleys (also commonly calledrollers) 172. The upper length of the belt 170 travels on horizontalsupports 240 extending along the length of the belt. A tensioner pulley174 is positioned below and intermediate the end pulleys and mounts in aslot 178 in a tensioner plate 176. The slot 178 extends vertically sothat the weight of the tensioner pulley 174 aids in providing propertension to the conveyor belt 170.

Each of the pulleys 172 and 174 is uniquely configured to eliminate acenter axle and its associated problems. The pulleys 172 and 174 aresimilar with the only differences occurring in the manner they aremounted and driven. The rollers 172 and 174 include a plurality ofblades 180 spaced about a periphery of bulkheads 182 and center V-rings184. In the embodiment shown, twelve of such blades 180 are utilized,but other configurations with fewer or more blades could also beutilized. The bulkheads 182 include radially extending slots, as shownin FIG. 21 to position and hold the blades 180. The V-rings also providefor engaging a tracking member from the belt 170 in some configurationsto ensure that the belt does not drift laterally and remains properlyaligned. The blades 180 preferably include a shallow arcing profile sothat a slight crown is provided to the belt 170. With the multipleblades 180 and with elimination of a center axle, material thatotherwise may fall into the roller area may be chopped up by the blades180. In addition, material is less likely to stick, jam or bind axles,as is a common problem with conveyor pulleys. The pulleys 172 and 174include a bearing housing 188 at one or both ends. In addition, at leastone of the rollers includes a drive socket for receiving a drive shaftfrom a hydraulic conveyor motor 230 as shown in FIG. 20. The bearinghousings 188 receive bearings 232 that connect over mounts 234. As shownin FIG. 11, the merger 100 utilizes hex pins 236 throughout itsconstruction that engage an inner hex shaped surface of the bearings 232and provides for simpler assembly and maintenance, due to improved toolaccess and engagement. Tension on the belt 170 is applied by connectingthe ends at a seam 220 and tightening. The seam 220 defines a flange, asthe belt 170 typically includes a plurality of flanges extendingtransverse to the length of the belt to aid in moving material. The seam220 includes a hinge 222 that receives a pin and is folded over fortightening. The ends of the belt 170 are then bolted together orotherwise connected to provide proper tension on the belt.

With the present configuration of the conveyors, the ends are fixedrather than sliding. This keeps the pulleys 172 at a fixed mountinglocation and provides advantages in alignment and reconfiguration. Withfixed ends, no adjustment is made as the pickup and transport assemblies104, 106 and 108 are folded or unfolded. Since there is no spacingneeded for adjustment, overall width is decreased and ends of theconveyors are maintained in a closer proximity. Moreover, it has beenfound that with the motors for the heads recessed, the ends of theconveyors 134, 136 and 138 are sufficiently close so that at operatingspeed, material does not fall between the ends of the belts and ispropelled forward with sufficient momentum to reach the belt 170 of thenext adjacent conveyor.

The tension is also critical as the hydraulic conveyor motors 230 arereversible so that the conveyors 134, 136 and 138 may be operated todirect material for merging to either end of the merger 100. Inaddition, the conveyors 134, 136 and 138 are operable independent of oneanother to provide greater flexibility with merging material than ispossible with the prior art. Tensioning becomes more critical as thebelt 170 is pulled when the belt travels in a first direction, but ispushed when the belt 170 travels in a second direction. If the belt 170is not in a proper tension and does not have proper tracking devices,the conveyors may jam or otherwise malfunction. The present inventionprovides sufficient tracking, drive and alignment that such problems areovercome.

Controls

Referring now to FIG. 12 there is shown the controls 300 for the merger100. The controls 300 are remotely actuated from the cab of the tractor1000 in a preferred embodiment, but may also be utilized in the cab ofself propelled embodiments. The control panel 300 includes switches tocontrol the function of the merger 100. Three position toggles switches304, 306 and 308 control the conveyor belt direction for the pickup andtransfer assemblies 104, 106 and 108, respectively. The switch 304controls the left conveyor and pickup and transfer assembly 104. Theswitch 304 controls the center conveyor 134 and the head 124. The switch306 controls the center conveyor 136 and the head 126. The switch 308controls the center conveyor 138 and the head 128. In one position, theconveyors travel to the left and in another position, the conveyorstravel to the right. With the switches 304, 306 or 308 in the middleposition, the associated conveyor and pick up head are turned off.

The control panel also includes switches 314, 316 and 318 to controlraising and lowering of the pickup and transfer assemblies 104, 106 and108, respectively. In a preferred embodiment, the switches 314, 316 and318 are rocker type switches. The switches 314, 316 and 318 allow forclearing obstructions and positioning the pickup and transfer assemblies104, 106 and 108 for road travel. A switch 320 allows for heightadjustment of the heads 124, 126 and 128. The controls 300 are easilyaccessible by an operator and provide for adjustment while moving. Thecontrols 300 include wiring leading to electro-hydraulic valves on themerger 100 in a preferred embodiment. Hydraulic pressure is provided bythe hydraulic system of the tractor 1000 for lifting functions. Theheads 124, 126 and 128 and the conveyors 134, 136 and 138 are powered bya tractor power take off driven hydraulic pump. The hydraulic systemalso provides for a floating operation for the heads 124, 126 and 128when the associated conveyor is running in the normal operatingcondition.

Supports

Referring now to FIGS. 16 and 19, skid assemblies 140 provide supportand height adjustment for the pickup and transport assemblies 104, 106and 108. The skid assemblies 140 include a rear wheel 142 and one ormore front rollers 148 mounted on a skid body 144. A ski type member 146may extend forward with a lower ramped lead surface to provide for moreeasily traveling over uneven terrain. The skid assemblies 140 includeadjustment holes 154 and 152 for adjusting the position of the rollers148 as well as their mounting position on the pickup and transferassemblies 104, 106 and 108. A linkage 218 is utilized for adjusting theposition of the skid assembly 140 and therefore the height of theassociated support head. The skid assemblies 140 are positioned belowthe conveyors 134, 136 and 138 to the rear of the heads 124, 126 and128, as also shown in FIG. 17. The positioning of the skid assemblies140 eliminates impinging on the operation of the heads and provides forachieving an unobstructed face for the pickup heads 124, 126 and 128.

Merging Operations

Referring to FIGS. 22-24, the merger apparatus 100 may be configured forvarying the merging patterns. As shown in FIG. 23, the conveyors can beoperated with two conveyors driven in a first direction and a thirdconveyor driven in the opposite direction. FIG. 23 shows the merger 100configured for a typical merging operation with all conveyors operatingin the same direction. It can be appreciated that the merger 100 mayalso be operated with only two heads or one head. Such merging patternsare shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,205,757 to Dow.

As shown in FIG. 24, the merger may create a double windrow B bytransferring a single windrow onto another single windrow A. This isaccomplished with a single pickup and transfer assembly operating in afirst direction. Triple windrows C are created with two pickup andtransfer assemblies operating in the same direction to merge twowindrows onto a single windrow A. As shown in FIG. 22, quadruplewindrows D are created when three windrows are transferred onto a singlewindrow A.

As shown in FIG. 23, the merger 100 may be operated with all threepickup and transfer assemblies operating in the same direction. Withsuch a configuration, three windrows may be merged from each side of asingle windrow A. Six windrows may be merged to create a septuplewindrow G as the merger 100 is advanced up and down the windrows.

It can be appreciated that the merger 100 of the present inventionprovides for changing the number of pickup and transfer assembliesoperating and the direction of the conveyors to combine windrows intolarger merged windrows. Any combination of from one to seven windrowsmay be achieved by the merger 100 to meet the capabilities of theharvesting equipment and account for the field and weather conditions.

These features of novelty and various other advantages that characterizethe invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexedhereto and forming a part hereof. However, for a better understanding ofthe invention, its advantages, and the objects obtained by its use,reference should be made to the drawings which form a further parthereof, and to the accompanying descriptive matter, in which there isillustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention.

1. A windrow merger apparatus configured for travel in a firstdirection, comprising: a frame; a first pickup assembly supported by theframe, the first pickup assembly including a first belt conveyorarranged to convey material in a direction transverse to the firstdirection of travel and driven by a first motor; a second pickupassembly supported by the frame, the second pickup assembly including asecond belt conveyor arranged to convey material in a directiontransverse to the first direction of travel and driven by a secondmotor; and a third pickup assembly supported by the frame, the thirdpickup assembly including a third belt conveyor arranged to conveymaterial in a direction transverse to the first direction of travel anddriven by a third motor; wherein at least two of the pickup assembliesare foldable between an extended position and a retracted position, eachof the first, second, and third pickup assemblies being aligned side byside when each of the pickup assemblies is positioned in the extendedposition such that the first, second, and third pickup assembliesprovide an unobstructed continuous line of material pickup; each of thefirst, second and third belt conveyors being operable in eitherdirection independently of the other belt conveyors.